Fresh off signing a five-year contract that according to an NFL source includes a $9.7 million guarantee _ a 16 percent increase from the $8.36 million guarantee Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco received as the No. 18 pick last season _ rookie outside linebacker Robert Ayers spent his first afternoon of training camp working out on his own. He ran through the team conditioning test prior to the team’s 5:30 p.m. practice, then headed off to the weight room as practice began.

Look at the Broncos on the practice field these days and more often than not your eyes will fall upon either a player who was not with the team last season or a player who was, but now finds himself playing a new position.

Sure, there are some rare examples. People like cornerback Champ Bailey, linebacker D.J. Williams or tight end Daniel Graham. They’ve been there and are still doing that.

But as a unit there is no group like the team’s offensive line this time around. The five players lining up with the first-team offense right now — left tackle Ryan Clady, left guard Ben Hamilton, center Casey Wiegmann, right guard Chris Kuper and right tackle Ryan Harris — is the same one that started the ’08 season finale.

In fact it is the same group that started all 16 games together last season and its position coach — Rick Dennison — is one of the few holdovers from Mike Shanahan’s coaching staff on Josh McDaniels’ first coaching staff.

They will be asked to play more of a power game in the new offensive system, a little more of a drive-blocking look with guards and tackles pulling to lead plays more often than in the zone-run scheme the team played under Shanahan when the linemen usually fired out all together in the same direction to create the running lanes.

And certainly some position battles could even still develop there as camp moves along.

But in an era, because of the salary cap, when it has been more difficult to keep offensive lines together, it does give the Broncos a chance to implement a new playbook with some guys who have worked together before.

As Denver Post blog readers expected, the Broncos signed first-round pick Robert Ayers to a 5-year deal this afternoon.

Ayers is inside Dove Valley headquarters and will attend his first training-camp practice this evening. The signing ended Ayers’ 3 1/2-day holdout in which he missed the first six training camp workouts.

A defensive end at the University of Tennessee, Ayers is expected to play outside linebacker for the Broncos.

The Broncos can now concentrate on negotiating with their other first-round pick, running back Knowshon Moreno, who was the No. 12 overall selection. Moreno will not be signed today, but there is hope he can reach an agreement either by the afternoon practice Tuesday or Wednesday.

Former Broncos linebacker Bill Romanowski went on a local radio show Monday and said he was told by Broncos owner Pat Bowlen that Bowlen had a conversation over the weekend with free-agent quarterback Michael Vick.

There’s been plenty of buzz about the Broncos’ free agent acquisitions and rookies throughout the spring and into training camp.

But there are a number of second-year players pushing for significant playing time. That was quite evident in Monday’s morning session. Defensive backs Jack Williams (corner) and Josh Barrett (safety) both were with the first unit on the nickel defense. Barrett was in the package at linebacker, filling in for Wesley Woodyard — yep, another sophomore player — who coaches held out of practice. Barrett got plenty of work Monday. He also played on with the second-team nickel unit at safety.

On offense, Peyton Hillis took significant reps at tailback, capitalizing on the absence of vet Correll Buckhalter, who was also held out.

And that’s not to mention Eddie Royal and Ryan Clady, who are already well established as integral parts of the offense.

Negotiations between the Broncos and their No. 18 overall draft pick, outside linebacker Robert Ayers, are in the final stages. The two sides are trying to hammer out details on a five-year contract in hopes Ayers can participate in today’s afternoon workout. If not, Ayers should be signed in time for the lone training camp practice tomorrow afternoon.

Ayers and running back Knowshon Moreno, who the Broncos took with the No. 12 overall pick in the draft, reached Day 4 of their contract holdout Monday morning. The Broncos are also hoping they can get Moreno signed so he can participate in tomorrow’s practice, although negotiations may extend into Wednesday.

A fourth day of practice delivered a cache of significant players held out. Not out at the morning practice were Jarvis Moss, Brandon Marshall, Brian Dawkins, Brandon Stokley, Wesley Woodyard and Correll Buckhalter.

Moss, the Broncos’ No. 17 overall draft pick in 2007, is contemplating his future. He was excused by coach Josh McDaniels to take a few days to think about whether he wants to continue playing. Broncos defensive lineman Marcus Thomas said Sunday that Moss had told him he would return today. The Broncos have another practice this afternoon.

Marshall limped off the field during the Sunday morning practice. He did not practice Sunday afternoon or this morning. McDaniels said it was a coach’s decision to hold out Dawkins, Stokley, Woodyard and Buckhalter.

9:42 a.m. update: Reserve linebacker Nick Greisen became the second player to need serious medical attention. He went down on the last rep in a linebacker-vs-running back drill. Trainers tended to his left leg, and Greisen was pointing to and rubbing a spot on his left knee before he was driven off the field on a cart.

In light of defensive end Jarvis Moss’ recent personal troubles and Marcus Thomas’ initial failure of the conditioning test, I thought it might be interesting to take a quick peek back at the 2007 draft. Check out today’s paper for a full story on Moss and Crowder.

The drafts preceding and following the 2007 draft have gotten plenty of publicity lately — what with the Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall drama from the 2006 bunch, and the many accolades for the 2008 crew, which includes Ryan Clady, Eddie Royal, Peyton Hillis and Spencer Larsen.

Oddly enough, the player with the most disappointing rookie year is the player who has emerged as the best of the bunch: Harris, who started every game at right tackle last season.

A look at how the careers of each 2007 pick has progressed:

Jarvis Moss: Played in 18 games with 1 start in two seasons. Missed eight games after breaking his fibula in early November 2007. He was inactive for one other game his rookie year. He played in 13 games in 2008 as part of the rotation on the defensive line (no starts) and had 2.5 sacks. Is in the process of becoming an outside linebacker for the new 3-4 defense, a position that might actually suit him better, should he 1) commit to playing football and 2) earn a spot on the 53-man roster. Had Moss been coming out of college in 2009, he likely would have been considered an OLB prospect from the outset.

Tim Crowder: Played in 13 games and made 1 start in a rookie season highlighted by his 50-yard fumble recovery for a TD against Pittsburgh. He fell off the radar in 2008, playing in only six games and making four total tackles. Like Moss, he will play primarily as an outside linebacker in the 3-4. Though he got significant reps with the first-team during a minicamp in June, he has played with the second-team thus far in training camp.

Ryan Harris: Had back surgery in the offseason before his rookie year and missed most of the preseason. He played in 11 games, almost exclusively on special teams. He won the starting right tackle job early in training camp in 2008 and excelled there throughout the season. He started every game and, even more impressively, played every single offensive snap.

Marcus Thomas: He has played in all but one game in two seasons and made 21 starts at defensive tackle. He also has two career interceptions (though who can forget how he lost a fumble when he tried to return a pick last year?). Like Moss and Crowder, the switch to the 3-4 means a new role for Thomas, who is trying to be a nose tackle for the first time in his career. The team officially lists Thomas at 316 pounds, 11 pounds heavier than in 2008. He wouldn’t disclose to a reporter how much he weighed when he reported to camp, so he could be heavier. Thomas initially failed the conditioning test but was cleared to practice on Saturday.

Nicki Jhabvala is a Broncos beat writer for The Denver Post. She was previously the digital news editor for sports. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor. She also spent two years as a home page editor at the New York Times.